By Carolyn Schuk

 

Arbor Day has a long tradition in Santa Clara. Last Friday, as in the past, local elementary school students gathered last Friday at the Triton Museum grounds to celebrate the day.

 

With idyllic sunny weather for the event, children learned about conservation, enjoyed entertainment from local favorites -- including master of ceremonies and magician Phil Ackerly and jazz musician Ike Cosse -- and about 1,000 hot dogs cooked and served by Santa Clara Kiwanis Club. Santa Clara Streets Department employees did the heavy lifting – literally – for the event.

 

Many local environmental groups and public agencies were on hand -- from the Santa Clara Beekeepers Guild to Silicon Valley Power the Bay Area Air Quality Management District – to offer tips and aids for green living.

 

Children could take home seedlings of drought tolerant marigolds, safety information from Santa Clara Police and Fire Departments, compact fluorescent bulbs – all carried in a reusable shopping bag.

 

The California Conservation Corps participates in Santa Clara's Arbor Day every year, providing information about its outdoor program -- the oldest and largest in the country -- in conservation, fire protection, and emergency response for 18 to 25 year-olds. "We love coming out and supporting Arbor Day," says CCC representative Phara Meng. 

 

If you wanted to get really hands-on, Anne and Joey Gadd of Saratoga were at the 4-H exhibit with three of their eight hens. Doris, a six year-old English Game Hen – "ancient," explains 13 year-old Joey -- was happy to be held and petted by strangers, while one year-old Snow White wasn't so pleased about all the company, wriggling away from would-be admirers.

 

Joey, a seven-year 4-H veteran who has shown his chickens and prize-winning guinea pigs at the state fair, would like to try his hand at rising turkeys. "I'd also like to raise a Turken," he adds, referring to a variety of chicken characterized by its turkey-like neck.

 

"You can keep a small number of chickens in the city," advises Anne Gadd. "They're wonderful pets, they come when you call them." Gadd reports that the hens like canned cat food and eat snails "like candy." Although hens don't crow in the morning, they do cluck. The Gadds stay on good terms with neighbors by supplying them with free eggs.

 

Carolyn Schuk can be reached at cschuk@earthlink.net.